Last week, a curious 250-pound Loggerhead turtle on Tybee Island found herself stuck in a marshy mud pit right off of Highway 80.
A long way from home, she was fortunately spotted by Tybee Island Marine Science Center volunteer Tammy Smith, who called into the marine center to get rescuers on the scene.
Then, TIMSC curator Sarah Alley was there, confirming that the female adult Loggerhead had indeed crawled a very long way from home, about 0.8 miles down the trail from the entrance of Fort Pulaski.
The turtle was found caked in mud, barely able to move. Photo courtesy of Tybee Island Marine Science Center/Facebook
The marsh she ended up in was next to the South Channel of the Savannah River, in a trail right alongside the highway.
“She had a long crawl through the grass, parallel to the river, and had turned back around and ended up right by the trail,” Alley observed in a statement for TIMSC.
Alley contacted the Department of Natural Resources biologists, who had to fight traffic for about three hours before reaching the distressed turtle.
Fortunately, things weren’t too dire for the turtle, though she needed to be cooled off with water and wet towels to stay in fighting shape. Alley also got a beach umbrella out of her car to keep the turtle shaded.
Alley stayed with Wilbur, covered in a wet towel, under an umbrella, for over three hours. Photo courtesy of Tybee Island Marine Science Center/Facebook
“I decided to call her Wilbur because she was like a little marsh piggy, slapping her flippers in the mud when I got there,” Alley added.
“She showed no signs of external injury, was very strong, and very large.”
Wilbur was certainly distressed, however, and laid a single egg, likely out of stress, according to Alley.
While most sea turtles in the area encountered by TIMSC are tagged for tracking, experts decided not to tag Wilbur to not cause any additional stress. But they did measure her carapace, or shell, which came in at 3.2 feet. Her weight was estimated to be at least 250 pounds.
Wilbur gets transported back to the beach. Photo courtesy of Tybee Island Marine Science Center/Facebook
Finally, Mark Dodd and Blake Marin with the DNR arrived on the scene, along with some other TIMSC team members.
They all worked to maneuver Wilbur into a large velcro string and onto an ATV, where she was finally transported to a DNR truck and driven back home to the ocean.
After a short journey, she was released safely back to the water.
But the single egg she left? Researchers with the DNR took it for genetic testing for an ongoing study at the University of Georgia in Athens, “which will hopefully yield some more information about his strong sea turtle in the future,” TIMSC reported.
Wilbur returns to the ocean. Photo courtesy of Tybee Island Marine Science Center/Facebook
Loggerhead turtles like Wilbur are classified as an endangered species, facing threats like fishing bycatch, nesting habitat loss, ocean pollution, vessel strikes, and worsening impacts of climate change.
Right now, Tybee Island, Georgia is experiencing a historic sea turtle nesting season, with female loggerhead sea turtles currently laying a record number of nests. Conservationists are eager to see how this plays out for the future of the species, as nesting season lasts between May 1 to October 31.
“Swim safe out there, Wilbur,” TIMSC wrote on Facebook after the turtle had returned home. “We hope to have you nest safely on Tybee’s beach!”
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Header image courtesy of Tybee Island Marine Science Center/Facebook
